Patmos Aktis, a Luxury Collection Resort & Spa, will reopen on 22 May, drawing a line under a multi-year refurbishment that establishes the property as the only luxury beachfront resort on the Dodecanese island and its first full season trading under Marriott’s Luxury Collection banner.
The final phase of the works introduces 33 new suites in a purpose-built wing, including beachfront and private-pool categories, alongside a substantially enlarged wellness programme and the arrival of Barolo, the Athens-based Italian restaurant making its debut on a Greek island. Together, the additions complete a top-to-bottom repositioning of guestrooms, villas, public spaces, dining and spa.
Originally developed in the 1960s under Greece’s state-led Xenia hotel programme, the resort has been reimagined to sit comfortably within the Luxury Collection’s portfolio of destination-led, character properties. Stylianidis Vaggelis Architects led the structural reworking, with interiors by Patricia Anastassiadis, whose previous credits include the Fairmont Copacabana in Rio and Palácio Tangará in São Paulo. Set within the seaside village of Grikos Bay, the scheme leans on a palette of cream, white and soft blue, paired with natural materials and locally commissioned artwork.
For business travellers and incentive planners, the brand transition is significant. Patmos has long sat outside the mainstream Greek island circuit, there is no airport, planning rules are unusually strict, and the year-round population hovers around 3,000. The island, often described as the “Jerusalem of the Mediterranean” on account of St John the Theologian’s reputed authorship of the Book of Revelation in a cave above Chora, has historically attracted a quietly loyal clientele of Athenian regulars and creatives. The Marriott affiliation now opens the property to global corporate accounts and Bonvoy redemptions for the first time.
The relaunched Anasa Wellness & Spa, billed by the operator as the island’s leading wellness venue, will run dedicated wellness weeks alongside daily programming spanning yoga, meditation, sound healing and guided hiking, drawing on Patmos’s Blue Zone credentials and its spiritual heritage. On the food and beverage side, Barolo joins the existing Plefsis Tavern, which serves a contemporary take on traditional Dodecanese cuisine.
In keeping with the Luxury Collection’s emphasis on local immersion, the resort is curating a programme of off-property experiences including private boat charters to hidden coves and outlying islets, guided visits to the island’s monasteries and hillside chapels, architecture-led walks through Chora and vineyard tastings. A parallel programme of nature-led activities is being aimed at younger guests.
Access remains part of the proposition. Patmos is reached via a two-hour ferry from Kos, itself served by direct flights from London, or by overnight ferry from Athens. Private boat and helicopter transfers can be arranged for guests prepared to pay for the convenience.
Rooms at the reopened resort start from £243 per night based on two sharing a Deluxe Room, with the new suites from £288 per night including breakfast.